I Can't Get Out
by glittergirl20
Summary: "The memories...they're always here... when I'm asleep... when I'm awake. I'm always there... I can't get out." A one shot where Finnick comforts Annie on her train ride home after winning the Hunger Games.


**I Can't Get Out **

"I'm starting to get concerned." Venus, the District 4, escort says. The words come from her bleached purple lips and high nasally voice. All the Victor's from 4 tease her about her voice. Some would say they can hear Venus anywhere within a fifty mile radius.

"She'll be fine." Bryce, the other male victor District 4 has to offer, says.

He doesn't care much for the new victor, Annie Cresta. He liked the male tribute Justin Catz much better. He wanted Justin to win the crown for District 4.

Pieces of bad memories flash through Annie's mind. Snow white birds dusted with blood are eating chunks of flesh from a dead boy's body, from her District partners body. Annie is lying on the hard ground next to another dead tribute, the tribute who beheaded her District partner, the only tribute she killed. Annie's letting the blood from both bodies soak into her light brown hair. The hot liquid seeps into every follicle trying to dye her hair blood red.

Annie closes her eyes and covers her ears to try and get the memories to go away, but it is to no avail those memories are never going to go away.

"She hasn't said anything since her interview with Caesar and that was hours ago. She hasn't even changed from her interview dress and you are all supposed to leave for home in one hour." Venus says annoyed.

"It's her dress, she should be able to wear it home if she wants to." Finnick the best known and most handsome victor states. However, while he sounds calm and collected he is also concerned about Annie.

He can already tell her interview with Caesar will need to be heavily edited because she gave mostly one word answers and even with the one word it took a great while for her to speak.

Annie's dress has a puffy yellow skirt with a sleeveless v-neck top. It will definitely stick out back home, but Annie doesn't want to change. She doesn't want to do anything. She only wants to forget.

"She'll feel better when she is on the train ride home." Mags, the eldest victor District 4 has to offer, says. Her voice is kind and wise, but she too is worried about Annie.

"She's going to look ridiculous going to that train station." Venus mutters. She walks off annoyed by the conversation.

They do make it to the train station and Annie still hasn't spoken a word. All she does is stare off into the distance and occasionally covers her ears or closes her eyes, but she does nothing else.

"You should eat." Finnick says gently. It's now dark out and everyone else has gone to bed, but not these two. Finnick doesn't want to leave her alone until she starts speaking. He's afraid she might do something stupid.

He places a plate of food in front of her. They had sea bass for dinner and he knows Annie enjoys this dish, most people from 4 do.

The train zooms through a tunnel and Annie grabs Finnick's hand tightly.

"I can't get out." She says softly.

The train has hidden the words, but Finnick knows she has said something.

"What?" Finnick says confused.

Annie doesn't turn to look at him she just keeps looking out the train window.

"I was in there for 14 days. 14 days with barely any sleep but I can remember it all so clearly. I can remember every minute. It was so cold and so dark. Birds. White birds would come out and attack. They liked to eat human flesh. They ate the dead flesh off of Justin. I tried to run but the birds were always there. People were chasing me... water so much water... cold as ice. It felt like knives were stabbing you and you couldn't breathe... you couldn't think. A hovercraft pulled me out... there were bright lights and people... strange noises." She swallows hard from the memories. Her thoughts are slightly jumbled just like her words.

Annie looks at Finnick.

"The hovercraft dragged me out but I can still feel the breeze of the arena, I can still hear the birds, the sounds, the smells, the memories...they're always here... when I'm asleep... when I'm awake. I'm always there... I can't get out."

A tear rolls down Annie's face.

She looks Finnick dead in the eyes.

"I can't get out."

She squeezes his hand tightly.

"I can't get out." She whispers and starts drawing circles on Finnick's hand with her thumb.

Finnick looks at her not knowing what to say. He knows the truth... and the truth is you can never escape your arena. The memories will always come to haunt your dreams. Those memories are now a part of who she is so he can't tell Annie she will never be able to get out of the arena because it would be a lie.

Instead of telling her the truth he just says "You'll feel better when we get home, back to calming beaches only District 4 has."

Annie doesn't believe him, but doesn't want to say anything else. She just sits there with him drawing the same circle over and over on his hand.


End file.
